Nov 5, 2019
The European No More Bricks in the Wall campaign has ended in Cumbria with more people than ever aware of the issues migrants face moving to new communities. Hundreds of school children and adults, from Carlisle to Kendal, Grasmere to Penrith, have attended workshops, film screenings, discussions and meals throughout October as Cumbria Development Education Centre (CDEC) has sought to facilitate the conversation of creating a welcoming place for migrants in our county and our country.
As part of the campaign, CDEC has asked people to sign the petition to make 3 October the European Day of Memory and Welcome. The aim of the day is to keep the plight of migrants coming to new communities and the concerns local people have in welcoming in different cultures at the top of the political agenda. During the events, participants were asked to sign this petition and followers of CDEC’s social media were also asked to get behind the campaign.
To put on the workshops, film screenings and meals, CDEC worked with other organisations throughout the county, including Carlisle One World Centre, Carlisle Refugee Action Group, Penrith and Eden Refugee Network, and the Merz Barn in Langdale.
The films Falling Forward and To the Four Winds stimulated interesting discussion post-screening, particularly among attendees who had moved to Cumbria from Syria and Libya, and helped the young people in our county’s schools to consider what it means to create a welcoming environment for people new to our country, let alone Cumbria. To the Four Winds was also shown at The Brewery Arts Centre.
CDEC Director Laura Goad noted: ‘The film screenings generated good discussion and interest in the project, the theme and the actions we as individuals can take to influence policy and decision makers. The children, in particular, were very inspired by Maher and the journey they saw him take in the film Falling Forward.’
